What Moves, the Airplane or the World?

Abstract

The literature pertaining to motion-relationship variables in the display of airplane flight attitude and steering commands and their effects upon pilot performance is reviewed. Factors considered include: (1) figure and ground relationships, (2) control-display relationships, (3) whether the airplane or the horizon is the moving element of the display, and (4) whether the presentation of steering commands results in pursuit or compensatory tracking. The frequency-separation principle is an unexplored approach to the solution of display motion relationship problems. A concluding set of requirements for future research is based on problems encountered in previous investigations of display motion relationships.